Black Veil Brides, 'Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones' -- Album Review

Black Veil Brides are back with their new album, Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones. The concept album is nothing short of epic. The album is 19 tracks long, some of which are spoken word cuts that help the story of a revolution against a totalitarian government along. The entire album is very dystopian - and that's right up my alley (Aldous Huxley is my favorite fiction author, after all!)

The album is full of rock anthems, meaning the band better ready a massive stage show because an album this good deserves nothing less. Sonically, Wretched and Divine is massive. Musically, the album borrows from contemporaries like Avenged Sevenfold and shows growth beyond BVB heroes Motley Crue. The vocals are more mature than previous efforts and the guitar work is stellar.

"I Am Bulletproof," "New Year's Day" and "In the End" are all winners. My favorite track is "Lost It All." I also love the "Overture" which is the album's theme reprised in strings. I like to think the guys in Black Veil Brides listened to Operation: Mindcrime (Queensryche), Tommy (The Who) and The Wall (Pink Floyd) over and over when planning their own rock-opera-concept masterpiece.

Wretched and Divine is so good, there's no doubt in my mind that the album will absolutely catapult BVB to a whole other level of fame. I hope they are ready, because their lives are going to change dramatically. Wretched is that rare album that has tons of commercial (radio) appeal but will still be accepted by die hard fans and rock lovers in general.

Be wary of someone who tells you they don't like Wretched and Divine. If they do, it's because 1) they are trying to seem cooler than they are or 2) it's because they are a hipster and hate everything fun. It is true we all have different tastes, but greatness should be universally appreciated. It is exceptionally rare for me to buy an album on its release day and listen from beginning to end without stopping. Even more rare is listening to the album more than once in a given day. Yesterday, I listened to Wretched and Divine 15 times, front to back. I didn't have the urge to listen to anything else while working, while driving, while writing, while cleaning. After my run, I found myself humming one of the album's tracks in the shower. I am not a hummer. This album is rare and special. I can't think of a better way to spend ten bucks than buying a copy of this record. You'll be glad you did. Trust me.